This article is one of a great many articles
written by Dennis Fisher about a very wide variety of subjects concerning
different dogs, such as obedience training, breeding, showing, health
matters, training problems and other subjects. All these articles appear
on Dennis Fisher's websites. Visit
http://www.allaboutgermanshepherddogs.com the site
that has been set up specifically for German Shepherd Dog enthusiasts, or
http://www.freedogadvice.com if you
interested in a breed other than German Shepherd Dogs

This retriever, though not as quick and agile as
the Golden Retriever, is also a remarkably intelligent, easy to manage animal
that responds well to training.

It is a most versatile dog and is the favorite
choice as a guide dog for the blind in many Guide Dog Organizations, including
the well-known Guide Dog training Center at San Rafael in California.

I can recall visiting this truly outstanding
Guide Dog Training School, where my nephew happens to be Training Director. I
was surprised to see that more Labradors were being trained for guide dog
duties than other breeds.

Clearly this Training Center for guide dogs,
where facilities are quite superb, must feel that the Labradorís
temperament makes it more suitable for guide dog training purposes than other
breeds.

Apart from the Labradorís value as a guide dog
for the blind, there other fields where this versatile dog is used, such as the
detection of drugs. It is of course also a very useful gun dog.

Then Labrador is a medium sized dog of about 22
inches in height. It can also be a somewhat greedy dog and there is a tendency
for the dog to put on too much weight if the diet is not controlled. Because
it is also sometimes rather a lazy dog, the Labrador should be encouraged to
exercise by being involved in active play.

There are Labradors who have been trained to be
effective guard dogs, but this is not natural characteristic of the breed. But
if is a lovable, friendly, affectionate, easy to manage and easy to train is
what you require the Labrador is an excellent choice.